SHO Udhampur threatened to hold my encounter: Harsh Dev

NPP leaders today met the DC Udhampur and SSP Udhampur seeking arrest of SHO Udhampur and his four colleagues alleging criminal assault, filthy abuses and threats of elimination hurled upon Harsh Dev Singh, former Minister and President JKNPP. The memorandum read thus-

“Yesterday on 22nd May, 2023 while Harsh Dev Singh Former Minister and NPP chief was holding a peaceful dharna outside Police Station Udhampur, he was assaulted, thrashed, kicked, abused and dragged on ground by the SHO Udhampur and four other policemen. The NPP chief was siting on a dharna and staging a peaceful protest against police high handedness and harassment of innocent civilians while allowing bovine smuggling, illegal mining and hobnobbing with liquor mafia and drug mafia. The SHO Udhampur reached the spot and rather than asking the NPP leader and others the reason for dharna pounced upon Harsh Dev Singh and threw him on the ground. He was dragged, kicked and thrashed resulting in several injuries on his person. He was beaten inside the Police Station. The SHO further threatened to hold encounter of Harsh Dev Singh. His wife Manju Singh was also assaulted and beaten and threats of elimination and filthy abuses hurled upon her. It is strange that one police officer was heard hurling filthiest abuses upon Harsh Dev Singh in the video and other was winking at other policemen meaning there by that their job was accomplished. The criminal acts committed by the SHO and his accomplices need immediate cognizance of the district administration and we request for immediate FIR and the arrest of delinquent police officers. Such kind of barbaric act on the part of police is unheard in the history of district Udhampur or even in J&K.

If the action is not taken against the uniformed goondas immediately, we shall hold massive protests at Udhampur from 25th May onwards.”

The memorandum was signed by six BDC Chairpersons and DDC of Panthers Party. In the meanwhile, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh held a press conference in Udhampur lashing out at the ‘Goonda Raj’ of the police. He said that not only was he assaulted and manhandled inside and outside the Police Station but the police officers had even threatened to hold his encounter describing themselves as all powerful. He sought immediate punitive action against the Police officers responsible for the barbaric act followed by their arrest in view of the massive outrage triggered by the shameless barbarism displayed by the Udhampur police.